By Lisa D. Jenkins

ThereÂs nothing quite like that feeling of knowing you owe the readers of your blog several hundred words and realizing youÂve got no idea what to write about. The realization that you can write on just about anything only makes it worse. It mires your brain in some sort of one track spiral that does nothing but turn around and around on itself.

Sorry, there are no blogs coming out of the station today.

So you take a walk. You open up the Google machine and surf around. You browse your book collection. You check your blog roll. Hoping for some sort of inspiration to drop an idea into your head.

Been there?

WeÂve all seen the lists of X Ways to Beat WriterÂs Block and there are often some great bits of advice in them. The problem is sometimes when youÂre so stuck you canÂt string a cohesive content thought together to save yourself, light prompts usually donÂt cut it. You need serious, focused help.

Enter the blog topic generators of the world!

They arenÂt perfect, they wonÂt write for you and they canÂt be held responsible for everything, but topic generators have saved me more times than I can count. HereÂs a look at 4 blog topic generators you can use to get writing, right now.

Enter in a single keyword and click Get Ideas. Pages of existing headlines come up and all you have to do it choose whether you want to see 10, 20 or 30 ideas at a time. Use what you see as inspiration for you own post.

Enter your keyword and click the arrow to get started. IÂll use content. Next, youÂll get a title with helpful descriptors. DonÂt like it? Hit refresh for another, and another. HereÂs the second title I was given:
ThatÂs workable, right?

YouÂll need three nouns for this. When youÂre ready, hit the Give Me Blog Topics button. I used content, productivity and business and was given these 5 blog topics.

So. IÂm not saying these generators will fix everything but theyÂll get you focused on a single thread thatÂs more likely to turn into a blog post or article than, say, aligning your writing utensils from left to right in order of frequency of use will.

Author’s Bio: Lisa D. Jenkins is a Public Relations professional specializing in Social and Digital Communications for businesses. She has over a decade of experience and work most often with destination organizations or businesses in the travel and tourism industry in the Pacific Northwest. Connect with her on Google+

The business world changes every day and if you want your business idea to succeed tomorrow, then you should pay attention to what’s trending today.

That’s right, by keeping an eye on the current market and successful business ideas; you can make an informed decision based on changing consumer needs.

When it comes to learning from current business trends, here are just a few types of businesses that are expected to grow for years to come:

Accounting

Whether it’s for small businesses or individuals, everyone needs help running numbers. If you have a knack for the financial side of life, then starting an accounting business is definitely a promising career. Accounting is a growing business landscape that offers plenty of job opportunities. The field of accounting isn’t something you can just jump into. To become a certified accountant, licensing and training is required. However, if you do have experience, turning your accounting business idea into a reality is a relatively easy and affordable process. From handling company balance sheets to general tax accounting, there’s no end to the growth possibilities of accounting.

Computer and Smartphone Repair

The popularity of computers and smartphones is going to continue to increase exponentially as time goes on. With a little training and basic licensing, you can turn your computer and smartphone repair business idea into a full-fledged career. There are a growing number of repair businesses that specialize in on-site computer hardware and software repairs as well as smartphone screen repairs. In addition, there are also a number of mobile repair businesses that can take care of repairs quickly and on the spot. No matter which direction you take, the computer and smartphone repair industry is really taking off.

Business Planning

If your business idea involves helping others develop their own business plans, then you’re on the right track. As the following article shows, starting a business plan service is 1 of 3 business careers that are actually fun and rewarding for both parties involved. The startup costs for a business planning service are minimal, but the career opportunities are huge. From preparing and formatting business plan layouts to creating financial outlooks, helping others plan their business will provide you with steady work for the foreseeable future. You can even offer add-on services like ongoing business consulting, which will provide you with a steady workflow as opposed to a freelance-style business approach.

Editing

Editorial services take a number of different shapes and forms nowadays. Whether it’s copyediting for online publications or proofreading company documents, businesses and individuals are always in need of quality editors. The best part is, being an editor means you’ll have a flexible career that you can take on in a full-time, part-time, or freelance capacity. Copyediting and proofreading are probably the two main editorial services that come to mind, but you can expand on your business idea to include other services too. Developmental editing, indexing, copywriting, blog writing and editing, ghost writing, and book doctoring are all much-needed services that fall under the editorial services umbrella.

If you want to know your business idea is a worthwhile venture for the future, then take a tip from the top trending businesses above.

Photo credit: Image courtesy of ddpavumba at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About the Author: Adam Groff is a freelance writer and creator of content. He writes on a variety of topics including business planning and career outlooks.

No matter what the posting schedule is like (daily, weekly, monthly), there is always another deadline looming. It can feel like one of those hamster wheels where you can’t get off.

With several years of blogging under my belt, I have accumulated some tricks that keep me from losing my mind.

Keep These Blogging Tricks Up Your Sleeve

Rainy Day Posts

The next time you’re feeling especially productive and the words are flowing easily, sock away an extra post that can be “evergreen.” Even better if you have 2-3 extras. Put them in a special folder or Evernote notebook. Break glass in case of emergency.

Writing “Stubs”

Many bloggers keep a running list of topic ideas, which is very useful. However, I like to take it a step further and flesh out the ideas as I have time. Whenever you have a spare moment, add to your “stubs,” without paying too much attention to grammar, structure, etc. Just jot down the bones of the post in a free-flowing way.

If you get bored with one of the “stubs,” move on to another one that’s more inspiring in that moment. No pressure to complete it, add URLs, etc., just get the ideas out of your brain and into the “stub” bucket.

Over time, you’ll have a fertile ground for picking up “stub” posts and completing them when you’re not feeling able to punch out an entire post from scratch. No more blank page staring at you.

Set up a Series

Establishing a series on your blog is one of the best ways to “have an ace in the hole.” If you establish a certain day of the week that is focused on a specific subject, then you aren’t grappling with that aspect of writing.

This also helps your guest bloggers. It’s much easier to find someone to write on a specific topic than to just say “write anything.”

The best part of running a series is that your audience will return to see the next post in the series too. It’s a great way to build audience attention over time, once they become invested in the subject.

My favorite Ron Popeil commercial was always the rotisserie chicken machine. ÂSet it and forget it!Â Who doesnÂt want to have delicious, juicy chicken roasting in their kitchen, being basted by a machine?

Stay with me a minute while I equate your brain to that self-basting rotisserie machine.

Your unconscious mind is capable of doing a lot of heavy lifting while youÂre going about your daily tasks. According to a University of Alberta study, itÂs constantly evaluating whether objects in your environment are helping you move toward your goals or away from them.

So if youÂre trying to come up with a new idea, a blog topic, a cartoon, a product design, it pays to Âset it and forget it.Â

This mechanism is the basis for Think and Grow Rich, The Secret, OprahÂs dream boards, and enough self-help books to fill the Grand Canyon.

But wait, thereÂs more!

You can try this in your very own home for the low, low price of….nothing!

Step One – WhatÂs Your Problem?

Think very vividly and in detail about the parameters of your problem. Say it out loud to yourself, write it down, describe it to someone else. Just define what youÂre trying to solve (perhaps youÂre just looking for a great blog topic).

Step Two – Go About Your Business

ThatÂs it. Totally forget about your issue, and concentrate on another task thatÂs unrelated. Do the laundry, file your taxes, finish that re-branding project, anything that distracts you from the problem.

That’s when the magic happens. Delicious, juicy, rotisserie chicken, just for you.

by
David Showell

Coping with Writer’s Block

For freelance writers, maintaining a healthy output of work is perhaps the most important issue, because without it the steady flow of income will soon start to dry up. However, itâs not always easy to find the inspiration thatâs needed to create quality content. Writing can be a wonderful occupation, but it should be noted that itâs not like an âordinaryâ job – if you canât produce the goods, you simply wonât get paid.

Most writers will freely admit that there are times when a blank screen simply refuses to be filled up with high class words, and each of them will have varying techniques to get past the block. For some, the best option is to just walk away from the computer and take a break for a little while. All good writers will be constantly on the lookout for ideas to write about, so heading out for a little walk is often a good option.

A stroll along the local high street could prove inspirational for many, thanks to the wide range of goods in the shop windows. Perhaps articles along the lines of âTen Great Inventionsâ or âThe Recession in the Retail Sectorâ could be created as a result. Similarly, a wander through the park may be all you need to start thinking about âFive of the Worldâs Best Bridgesâ or maybe even âHow to Cope with Hay Fever in the Summerâ.

If youâre stuck for ideas and donât wish to venture outside, another good idea is to watch a little TV for a while or perhaps to read a book or magazine. There are good ideas to be found almost anywhere, although there are times when it feels like nothing will inspire. Many writers find their finest articles are borne of ideas when they least expected them, despite the fact that most writers will tell you they rarely switch off.

Some of the more prolific pen-men and pen-women are able to produce large quantities of work with very few interruptions, although the majority of them will have all experienced that sinking feeling from time to time. In many cases, the best option is to stop trying to write anything at all, and to just let a little break restore the mindâs equilibrium. Whether youâre looking to manufacture the next great American novel or youâre looking to write a short article for a travel website, you need to spot the times when the creative juices are flowing and when theyâre not.

—-

Author’s Bio:David Showell is a UK-based writer who works for a car hire company. He specialises in deals for tourists who are visiting the island of Sardinia.

Be Prepared to Influence the Results

The CEO was a great thinker. He made his decisions on the facts. As I watched him in meetings as people presented ideas with their best efforts to win him over, I learned a lot about what influences the decision making process.

One of the most important things I learned was what I should know to hedge my bets.

Influence is built on trustworthiness and connection.
To achieve those and meet our goals, it’s important to finely focus on the roads that will take us to our goal and the ways of inviting people to join us that move their mission forward as well.

4 Things to Know to Move Forward Before the Abyss of Next Steps

Whether we work for a huge corporation or sit at a desk in our living room, we can’t be successful without tapping into the influence of others who can help us make our ideas and our projects become real. Yet, we all also know the experience of leaving a meeting or ending a phone only to find that the decision we wanted fell off the table into an abyss called “Next Steps.”

Knowing a few things before we go into those meetings can influence the results significantly by building foundational trust in our competence and connecting our goals to how those we want to help will benefit.

1. Know your short term purpose. Who are you and what are you building? Too often, we enter a meeting, write a blog post or email, or walk into a meeting without a specific and thoughtful goal in mind. Why are you there? Are you trying to rally support for a new idea? Do you want to change a plan in progress? Are you exploring ways to work together? Are you after funding to research the idea? Will you share something new you’ve discovered? What do you want to be true when the conversation ends?

2. Know how this project will make the answer you want clear. Know how you’re going to make the project happen. Ask yourself before you meet, “What would be next if the answer is yes.?” Sketch out a plan of action and reasonable estimates for the costs and the resources needed to execute that plan. Do the thinking so that they don’t have to. Present a simple plan that can stand on its own.

3. Know how your plan will bring relevant and positive results faster and easier. Establish context that makes your goal relevant to the audience you want to enlist. Why are you pursuing this goal and why would the audience want to align their goals with yours? Are you informing a large audience or a small one? How deeply do they need to know the details? ?How will you connect what you want to happen to what already is? How will the proposed project fit into what they’re already doing? How can you make your proposal mission critical to THEIR goals?

4. Know how your experience will add value and mitigate risk. How will you establish your knowledge base as an expert? If possible, tie the proposed idea or project to something you’ve succeed at in the past. If you can’t, know what you’d expect based on your experience and be able to explain why you’re confident that together you can make this innovative approach a success. Research similar ventures. Be prepared to speak to one or two you know well.

Ideas are fun, but they’re not the genius that builds an economy. For no matter how ideas — genius or not — that get set on the “business table,” it’s the ones founded on solid thinking, realistic plans, and influential support from the right sources that develop into the next awesome technology or killer app we own.

If we do the strategic thinking and develop credible plans before we propose the idea, attracting the influential support of the right people is faster, easier, and more meaningful. In fact it could be said to be irresistible.

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